Fastener attachment



June 30, 1970 c, E. cmzssw 3,517,874

FASTENERIATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 18, 1968' v *;l w 5o 52 I 'M? FIG. 7' I8 84 1 a: 9 1 INVENTOR. I CLIFFORD E. .caassv BY 2 ncas 27.47%

jATTORNEY United States Patent 3,517,874 FASTENER ATTACHMENT Clilford E. Cressy, 9145 Grace Place, Highland, Ind. 46322 Filed Jan. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 698,744 Int. Cl. B25c 7/00 US. Cl. 227-144 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Button and eyelet fasteners are extensively used to attach tops and sides of sheet material, such as cloth, flexible plastic and rubberized fabric and the like to boats, automobiles, and camping trailers, and to fabricate tents and awnings. Once the fasteners have been secured, the material is held firmly in place on its supporting structure with the fastener extending through multiple thicknesses of the material along the margin. Often the tops and sides are relatively small and simple in design and could be installed with little experience or instruction, except that special and relatively expensive tools have been required to attach the fasteners. Consequently, other types of fasteners or stitching, which are more difficult to secure and less satisfactory in appearance and reliability, have been used. Further, the tops and sides which have already been installed occasionally become ripped and torn, but can be repaired by resecuring the marginal edge of the material to the supporting structure, or can be mended with a relatively small insert. It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide an attachment for pliers, which can easily and readily be mouned on jaws of the pliers and held in place thereon until intentionally removed, and which reliably retains the button and eyelet in place for effectively applying those parts to the material to be secured regardless of the position of the pliers.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment for pliers, which is constructed of relatively firm resilient plastic material, permitting the attachment to slip easily onto the jaws of the pliers, yet retaining the attachment firmly in place in any position of the pliers, and which is so constructed that the required pressure can easily be applied by the pliers to the fastener parts and to secure the parts together effectively.

Still another object of the invention is to prov de a fastener attachment of the aforementioned type WhlCl'l is relatively simple in construction and operation and easy to fabricate, and which is inexpensive, yet effective and efficient in performing the fastening operation.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention Wlll become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a pair of pliers with the present fastener attachment mounted thereon in operating position;

FIG. 2. is a perspective view of the pliers and attachment shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the manner in which the fastener attachment is used in applying fasteners to sheets of material;

FIG. 3 is a front end elevational view of the pliers and attachment shown in the preceding figures;

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FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of the pliers and attachment for one set of fastener parts, the section being taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. .5 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 4, showing an attachment for another set of parts and further illustrating the manner in which the attachment performs the securing operation.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of part of the attachment shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the parts of the attachment shown in FIG. 4.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, numeral 10 designates a pair of pliers having an upper jaw 12 and a lower jaw 14, the two jaws having transverse serrations or grooves for increasing the effectiveness of the grip of the jaws. The pliers illustrated in the drawing is a straight jaw vise type which permits a substantial pressure to be applied by the jaws and which will retain the jaws in closed position even after the force on the handles is released by the operator. While the present attachment is preferably used with pliers of this type, it may be used with various other types of pliers. The types of fasteners to which the present attachment is particularly applicable are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and consist of an eyelet 16 and 16', respectively and cooperating buttons 17 and 17', the eyelets having a center hole 18 and 18' and the buttons having a stem 19 and 19'. The two respective eyelet and button elements are secured together by the stem of the button passing through the hole of the eyelet and being expanded to clamp the two elements together with the fabric or sheet material clamped therebetween. In

the use of these assembled fasteners, the assembled fastener part of FIG. 4 snaps into the assembled fastener part of FIG. 5 to snap the two sheet material sections together.

The present attachment consists of a part 20 for holding the eyelet and a part 22 for holding the button, the two parts being shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, mounted on the upper and lower jaws respectively. Part 20 consists generally of a rectangular shaped body having a rectangularly shaped cavity 24 therein for receiving jaw 12. The rear end of the body is open so that the jaw 12 can slip lengthwise into the cavity. The jaw 12 extends laterally outwardly beyond the nose of the pliers and forms a shoulder on which flanges 26 and 28 seat and retain the body in place on the jaw. Part 20 for holding eyelet 16 is provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical boss 30 for receiving the eyelet, the external diameter of the boss being substantially the same as the internal diameter of the base of the eyelet and retainer ring 31. A protrusion 34 is provided in the center of the recess, extending into the hollow interior of the eyelet and assisting in centering the eyelet and spreading the stem of the buttons.

Part 22 consists of a body similar to the body of part 20, being rectangular in shape and having a cavity 40 with an open rear end to permit the body to be slipped longitudinally onto jaw 14, with the jaw passing through the open end and seating in the cavity. The walls of body 22 are provided with inwardly extending flanges 42 and 44 for seating on the laterally extending shoulders formed by the extension of jaw 14 laterally beyond the nose of the pliers. The upper surface of part 22 contains an upwardly projecting annular rib 50 defining a relatively deep recess 52 for receiving the button element, preferably held in recess 52 merely by a snug fit within rib 50. However, diametrically opposed cars 54 and 56 extending inwardly over the margin of the button portion may be used to prevent accidental dislodging of the button portion. If part 22 is used in the position illustrated in the drawing, i.e. in the lower position, the button portion would normally be held in position by gravity; however, in maneuvering the pliers to the position for completing 3 the fastening operation, they may be turned to various angular positions which might permit the button portion to accidentally become dislodged. Dislodgement is positively prevented by the diametrically opposed ears 54 and 56.

One of the advantages of the present fastener attachment is the fact that the bodies of parts 20 and 22 are made of relatively firm but resilient plastic material, such as nylon, which permits the parts to slide easily onto jaws 12 and 14, but which effectively retains the parts in proper position on the jaws with the axes of boss 30 and rib 50 in alignment with one another so that the button and eyelet portions will be aligned for effective securing of the two elements. Since a substantial pressure is applied by the pliers through parts 20 and 22 to the eyelet and button elements, an anvil 60 is preferably seated in the bottom of recess 52. As shown in the drawing, the recess is open at its inner end and the anvil forms the bottom of the recess and is held in place by the contacting portion of jaw 14 when part 22 has been installed on the jaw, thus permitting the jaw to apply pressure directly to the anvil rather than through a portion of the plastic body.

The side walls and flanges of the bodies of parts 20 and 22 grip the jaws and retain the two parts in proper position thereon regardless of the position of the pliers. The bodies of parts 20 and 22 are provided with end walls 62 and 64, respectively, for forming an abutment for the forward end of the jaws to properly position the parts on the jaws with the boss 30 and annular recess 52 in alignment. The bodies of both parts are preferably formed as unitary structures, with the exception of boss 30 and anvil 60, and can be manufactured in mass-production molds.

In the use of the present fastener attachment, the two parts 20 and 22 are slipped onto the jaws with the forward end of the respective jaw engaging the internal side of front walls 62 and 64, and with the axes of boss 30 and annular rib 50 in alignment with one another, as illustrated in the drawing. The sides of the bodies of the two parts 20 and 22 grip the sides of the jaws, and flanges 26 and 28 of part 20 and flanges 42 and 44 of part 22 grip the jaws to retain parts 20 and 22 firmly in place on the jaws. In performing the securing operation, a button is placed in recess 52 and an eyelet is placed on boss 30, the two being held in place either by a snug fit with the respective parts or by the ears on the rib. With the elements of the fastener in the foregoing position and with the pliers in open position, the jaws of the pliers are placed on opposite sides of material to receive the fastener, and the pliers are then operated. As the pliers close, the stem on the button first passes through an unpunched hole in the material, creating its own hole, and then passes through the hole in the eyelet and is spread outwardly by protrusion 34, securing the two elements together and rigidly holding the material therebetween. The pliers are then operated to open the jaws and dis engage parts 20 and 22 from the eyelet and button, thus completing the operation.

The operation of the attachment shown in FIG. 5 is essentially the same as that just described with reference to FIG. 4. While the pliers are shown inverted, the cap 17' is placed in recess 70 defined by annular rib 72 on part 22' and is retained therein either by a snug fit with the inner walls of the rib or by ears 74 and 76 on the inner edge of the rib. A metal anvil 78 transmits the force from the jaw of the pliers to the button. Eyelet 16' is seated in a recess 80 defined by wall 82 of part 20', the recess being formed in a metal member 83 which seats on the respective jaw and which contains a retainer ring 85 for holding the eyelet. When the jaws are closed, stem 19' is forced through hole 18 and is spread by the shape of lug 8-4, thereby clamping the material between the fastener elements 16' and 17. This fastener assembly is then ready to perform the complete fastening operation by. cooperation with the assembled fastener elements 16 and 17 of FIG. 4.

While two embodiments of the fastener attachment have been'described in detail herein, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A pliers attachment for fasteners having a button element and an eyelet element and said pliers having opposed jaws: said attachment comprising a first part of resilient plastic material having a cavity for receiving one of the jaws of said pliers and a means for receiving the fastener eyelet, a second part of resilient plastic material having a cavity for receiving the other of said jaws and a recess for receiving the fastener button, said recess in said second part extending to said cavity, a metal disc seated in said recess, and means for removably retaining each of said parts on the respective jaw of the pliers.

2. A pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 1 in which the means for receiving the eyelet is a boss with a center protrusion for extending through the hole in the eyelet.

3. A pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 1 in which the recess in said second part is defined by an annuar rib having an inside diameter substantially the same as the external diameter of the button.

4. A pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 2 in which a recess is provided in said boss surrounding said protrusion for receiving said protrusion.

5. A pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 2 in which said first part is provided with a generally conically shaped protrusion in the center of said recess.

6. A pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 4 in which said first part is provided with a generally conically shaped protrusion in the center of said recess.

7. The pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 3 in which the rib on said second part is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending ears for retaining a button in said recess.

8. The pliers attachment for fasteners as defined in claim 1 in which a rib is disposed on said second part and is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending ears for retaining the button in said recess.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,091,770 6/1963 McMurray 227-15 3,144,157 8/1964 Dritz 227-55 3,145,388 8/1964 Carpinella 227-15 3,171,132 3/1965 Dritz 227144 X 3,250,450 5/1966 Le Page et al 227144 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 227-15 

